Improvement in piano-fortes



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIECE.

YVILLIAM XV. BATCHELDER, OF NEWT YORK,

IMPROVEMENT IN PIANO-FORTES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 43, 174, dated June 721, 186i.

To all whom it 'may concern: l

Be it known that I, WILLIAM W. BArcr-I- ELDER, of the city and State ot New York, have invented and made a certain new and useful Improvement iu Piano-Fortes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, 1 clear, and exact description of my said invention, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making part of this speciiica-tion, wherein* Figure l is a plan representing the outline of a piano-forte with my improved attachment to the sounding-board, and Fig. 2 is a vertical i section through the sounding-board. Fig. 3 is a section representing a variation in the t radiating bars.

Similar letters refer to the saine parts.

In soumlingboards of piauofortes there are one or more points from which the vibrations appear to radiate; or, in other words, a vibration upon that sounding-board at such point gives more sound than if communicated to any other part of the sounding-board, and the part ofthe sounding-board near the bridge is generally the worst point for giving ofi' sound.

l lind that with ordinary square pianofortes the best places for sound forming foei of vibration are near the middle of the sounding-board widthwise, at a short distance from the point ot its attachment to the piano-frame, and along the front edge of the sounding-board near the keys.

I'Ihe nature 0f my said invention consists in connecting the parts of the sounding-board having the best quality of vibration with those having less vibrating qualities by radiating bars connected at their ends to the soundingboard, said radiating bars diverging from the said focus of vibration and extending toward the sounding-board bridge, whereby the vibrations are conveyed from such bridge to the siundin gboard at the most advantageous paint or points to produce beneficial effect on the tone and volume of sound.

In the drawings, a is the frame or case of a piano-forte, of any usual size or shape. bis

the sounding-board. bridge.

d is a stud or block on the sounding-board at one of the most advantageous points for vibration, from which bars e e radiate to different parts of the soundingboard, and are connected at their ends with the soundingboard or to the bridge by means of the arms ff. These arms ff are either curved, as represented in Fig. 2, or. of a T forni, as sheen in Fig. 3, and may be of metal or any other suitable material. The vibrations of the piano-strings are by these radiating bars e c concentrated at the stud d, and from that point produce the greatest effect by vibrating the sounding-board. These radiating bars may extend in any desired direction from one or more centers of vibration, and be located in such positions as will produce the best effect on the sound according to the manner in which the strings are introduced.

It will be evident that the radiating bais may be above or below the sounding-board, and connected thereto by the block and arms, as shown, or glued directly to the soundingboard or otherwise attached, although I prefer the former inode.

, I do not claim bridges or supportingrbars connecting one partof the soundingvboard with another, as the same have been used in violins, guitars, Ste.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The bars e c, applied in piano-fortes, and radiating from the part or parts of the sounding-board having a good vibrating quality, and connected tothe soundingboard at points of inferior vibrating quality, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my signature this 5th day of March, A. D. 186i.

VILLIAM lV. BATGHELDE t.

c is the sounding-board 

